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THE MUSIC TRADE
of selling too is a very essential point if the resuh 'f the year's
business is to show on the right side of the ledger.
There are men who have not gone closely enoi ' into the
selling cost, and a good many prefer to adhere to tradition in some
respects rather than to map out new lines. Now it is poor business
to follow out certain plans, or to do things just because a competitor
does; because sometimes a competitor does very questionable things,
and that is the very reason why a reputable business man should
not do them, and a wise business man will do the right thing first,
rather than to blindly follow a competitor.
REVIEW
and there is every reason to believe that February will establish
a new record. All in all, it looks as if the year was going right on
increasing in business volume. Manufacturers are prepared to turn
out more pianos than they did last year on account of increased
creative facilities, and it seems fair to presume that more than a
quarter of a million of instruments will be produced in these
United States during the year upon which we so auspiciously
entered.
F
ROM a personal study of the situation, and from special reports
which have reached this office, it is certain that piano men
are inclined to place a stronger emphasis upon the trade and the
F course it is well to keep an eye on a competitor who is going
selling end than they have before for years.
to be a dangerous one, but a better rule to adopt is to map
It is necessary that the successful merchant or manufacturer
out original lines and methods which attract and draw trade and
be ever alert to keep abreast of the times, and adapt his methods
never mind spending so much time in watching what a competitor
to meet fully the requirements of his trade. And one thing is
is doing. There are three things which every piano merchant
certain, the people are becoming more enlightened as to piano
should keep constantly in mind, and more especially at inventory
values, and they are becoming more critical every day. This does
times, sales, profit and expenses, and these three may be really
not mean that there will be a decreased number of sales ; on the con-
boiled into one, for it is on the nicely adjusted proportions of each
trary, with the increase of knowledge regarding piano values it is
that a profitable business depends, and that is what most of us believed that there will be a corresponding increase in the number
are in business for. If the astronomer keeps his telescope focused
of instruments sold.
on one star, what will he know about other constellations? Like-
wise if your commercial eye is forever glued on one point, you
VOLUTION of the piano business has brought about main
may escape the shoals of bankruptcy, but you will not remain for
changes, and the successful piano man of to-day is the one
long the strong man of your community. A second fiddle keeps
who has grasped the situation, and who has remodeled his methods
time to the music of the first, but the first is not devoting his time
to correspond with the changing condition of the times. Every
watching the second. It is true sometimes that a small and uncon-
business man must meet these changing conditions, or he will be
sidered competitor may match up well later on, even to the point
swept out of existence, and out of all consideration in his particular
of standing shoulder to shoulder, but it pays to keep doing things!
line of business.
The people are becoming educated in every line of trade. The
general
public to-day knows more about life insurance than the
HE piano business has splendid possibilities for the enterpris-
average
insurance
agent did twenty-five years ago. It is no longer
ing man, but one thing is certain, to those who have given
necessary
to
try
and
interest the prospect by explaining to him
the history of this business for the past two decades a close study,
what
life
insurance
is.
It will be hard to find a man in the whole
and that is that it is changing, and too, it is getting read}' for the
United
States,
who.
if
he
can read and write, does not fully under-
bigger" things. It is attracting men with broad views, and it cer-
stand
that
there
are
many
large and small life insurance companies
tainly pays to be up and doing in the good year of 1906. The
whose
business
it
is
to
insure
lives, and that these companies offer
present visible dollar may hide away a hundred more just out of
different
forms
of
contracts,
providing
different benefits.
vision, and soon an opportunity may present itself to make a good
O
E
T
business deal. It cannot be won through inactivity. If you can
see it there is probably a chance to do a much bigger business with
correspondingly increased profits.
This is the time for every man who is in business to make his
position as strong as possible, and it is the time for some of our
people to do a little thinking. When we hear of a man achieving
any particular success, the contributory element is usually referred to
as tact, intuition, or push. Also by a score more of other names
that sometimes guide and oftentimes mislead, but when that pecu-
liarly suggestive term "get next" is used, there is no misconstruing
its meaning. We Americans have the happy art of coining new
phrases which seem to express the situation admirably. Now if a
man "gets next" to a good business proposition it means that he is
successful.
N
OW the conditions around us at the present time are of the
right kind to "get next" to, and the man who is not doing
business is evidently not "next" to the true situation.
A personal survey of the trade situation in a number of im-
portant cities of the West shows that February is going to go the
first month of the year some better, and that is saying a good deal,
for January, according to all reports, was a month of splendid
activity.
Trade in the Middle West was surprisingly large, and manu-
facturers received more orders than during any previous January
within memory. This may be accounted for on the ground that
an open winter has enabled the dealers everywhere to work then-
prospects indefatigably. Tt has been not only possible to follow up
sales pointers in small towns, but the delivery of instruments has not
been retarded on account of impassable roads which is usually the
case during the winter season.
W
H I L E the unusual climatic temperature which has existed
for the past few months has injured some lines of busi-
ness, it has helped others, and the piano merchants of the countrv
are not complaining on account of a warm winter.
The collections, too, have been more than up to the average.
I
N the same way thousands of people understand that there are
a variety of pianos manufactured, some of which occupy an
exalted position, others of mediocre value, and so on down the line.
Now, it is up to the progressive man to show the advantage of his
particular line in order to secure that trade which is necessary to
continue his business on a successful basis. Nature intended some
things to meander lackadaisically along without arriving anywhere
in any particular or specified time, but she never intended man to fol-
low their example. While the brook may saunter along through
pastures, describing leisurely figures of eight in its course along
the meadows, turn aside to play hide and seek with the roots and
trees in the wood without disturbing itself in any reflection that it is
missing an engagement. It has no engagement of any importance.
When the brook continued, grew up, so to speak, and became n
river, then it put away childish habits and assumed responsibilities.
It cut out useless twists and turns and began to get down to busi-
ness with a lot of heavy wheels to turn and burdens to bear, it
started out to hustle along in the most direct path it could pick out.
Business life to-day cannot be made up of evasions; it is direct,
straight to the point, and every man who merits success must avoid
haphazard strokes.
A
RECENT communication signed by the head of one of the
most important concerns in the West contained the follow-
ing: "I consider The Review in every respect a model trade pub-
lication. It is well balanced in each department, the accurate news
and technical information which it contains every week must be
of great advantage to the dealers, and I am confident from my in-
vestigation that The Review is to-day a powerful force in this
industry." There is no mistaking the fact that the dealers place
confidence in The Review as well as advertisers, for the business
of the paper for the new year thus far has broken all previous
records.
An institution producing over fifty pages a week of original
matter gives indisputable proof of the demand for its product among
people who arc good judges of newspaper values. One thing is
certain, there is a greater call for The Review among advertisers
and subscribers than ever before,